Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Little optimism emerges from Lake White meeting

Pike County Court Judge Paul Price, acting as moderator for Tuesday's event, listens to an answer being offered by Mike Berezanski of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.(Photo: Chris Balusik/Gazette)Buy Photo

WAVERLY - Those who attended a Tuesday community meeting looking for definitive solutions to a mysterious water loss issue in Lake White and hoping for a full 2018 boating season may have walked away disappointed.

During the two-hour session before a standing room only crowd at the Pike County Government Center, representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Stantec engineering and the Ohio Department of Transportation reviewed the history of the Lake White dam project, problems that have arisen and steps being taken to try finding the source of a leak that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn't exist following completion of the dam repair work.

Tom Osborne, a Lake White resident, isn't overly optimistic that source will be found in the near future.

"I have more questions now than I had coming here," Osborne said. "I don't think that a berm is going to fix this problem, and I think it's pretty obvious they're telling you the dam's not safe. It's safe when there's no water in the way, but what happens when they try to raise it to a full summer pool and then we have winter freezes and thaws and stuff like that?

"They're telling you the dam's safe, but it's not safe. You could even see it on the people's faces, they don't know what's going on."

The berm to which Osborne referred will become the next part of the process of trying to stop the falling levels discovered earlier this year after dam repair work was completed and the lake's water level was brought back up to summer pool levels ideal for boating. With the discovery came the need to lower levels back to winter pool while the search for the source of the water loss was conducted.

According to Stan Harris, with Stantec, that search has included additional soil borings, installation of observation wells, reviews of original construction records, surveys of the lake bed, checks of the stability of the dam, dye testing, water chemistry testing, estimating flows of water in and out of the lake through various means and getting independent opinions from several consultants.

One issue that has been identified has been the formation of dozens of sand boils in the area near the south end of the dam. The boils are formed by water seepage in the sand and gravel below the dam that comes to the surface and erodes the soil, creating small sand hills. Left unchecked, the seepage flow corridors under the surface can become larger and over time create a safety issue for the stability of the earthen dam.

Construction of a sand and gravel filter berm would address that issue, but Harris said it is unlikely to resolve whatever is causing lake water levels to drop. Even so, it was presented as the next logical step in the process to ensure the stability of the dam so water levels can be brought up again in the search for the lake level problem.

The bad news for residents who have already missed the better part of three boating seasons is that the process for constructing the berm may stretch into the 2018 boating season. Steve Berezanski, a project manager with the capital improvements program for ODNR, said no timeline has been set for how long the berm project may last.

The project is early in the design stage, with the scope of the work not yet clearly defined. Once it is, it will then have to clear several possibly time-consuming permit hurdles before the construction phase can begin.

Berezanski, early in the meeting, said he wanted to make it perfectly clear that the dam is safe. Later in the meeting, however, he and Harris noted that for safety reasons, the water level needs to be kept at winter pool until the berm is constructed. After that is done, the water level can be raised to see what happens.

About midway through the question-and-answer portion of the meeting with officials responding to questions presented on index cards, some of the frustrations from residents who have seen their homes and businesses impacted by the situation started to surface as audience members drifted from the agreed-upon format and began presenting questions and comments directly. The shift prompted Shirley Bandy, executive director of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce which had organized the event, to remind attendees that it was rare to get so many state officials to the county to answer questions in a town hall fashion and that in order to continue, the format must be respected.

Pike County Court Judge Paul Price, a lake resident who has been at the forefront of keeping residents updated on developments through social media, moderated Tuesday's event. Afterward, he said he found the event informative and was encouraged by plans to create a volunteer board of citizens to act as a communications liaison between those involved with the project and the general public, as poor communication is one of the major concerns cited by residents.

He also heard several downsides to the situation, however.

"It tells me that 2018 (boating season) is gone and how many more boating seasons will be lost remains to be seen," Price said. "My other fear is that the lake is very safe when the water level is kept low, but the lake represents its biggest value and importance to the community when the lake level is kept high. My biggest fear is they will continue to maintain the water levels low because that's the safest option for the dam, and that is not what is best for the community as far as its economic value and its utility."

Lake property owner Branch Euggle Robertson found the event informative and said he believes those involved with the search for the source of the leak are doing everything they can.

"These guys are under the gun and for them to have three other consulting firms helping them made me feel good," he said. "It made me feel better that they said they were committed to get our normal pool back."

While details of the board of citizens are still being worked out, those on Tuesday's panel asked those who are interested in serving on it to send an email expressing that interest to DamRiskReduction@dnr.state.oh.us. Project updates can also be found online at engineering.ohiodnr.gov.

AT A GLANCE: FINDINGS TO DATE

Low creek water flows affect lake levels.

There are numerous factors that can impact lake levels.

Flow monitored from drain pipes at the lake and dam has been as expected.

No concentrated seepage pathway has been found as yet.

Sand boils discovered do not explain falling lake levels.

A sand and gravel berm is needed to prevent erosion coming from under the dam.